12 MOTION OF THE JUICES OF THE ANIMAL BODY. 



100 parts, by weight, of dry ox-bladder, take up in 24 hours, 



of pure water .......................... 268 volumes 



saturated solution of sea salt (brine) . . . 133 

 ,, alcohol of 84 per cent ................. 38 



oil of marrow* ....................... 17 



100 parts, by weight, of ox-bladder, take up in 48 hours, 



100 parts of dry pig's bladder take up in 24 hours, 



of pure water ........................... 356 volumes 



brine ................................ 159 



oil of marrow ........................ 14 



From these experiments it appears that the absorptive power of animal mem- 

 branes for different liquids is very different. Of all liquids, pure water is taken 

 up in the largest quantity ; and the absorptive power for solution of salt diminishes 

 in a certain ratio as the proportion . of salt increases. A similar relation holds 

 between the membranes and alcohol ; for a mixture of alcohol and water is taken 

 up more abundantly the less alcohol it contains. 1 



(') In regard to this property, membranes differ in no respect from other animal 

 textures, as was long ago proved by Chevreul. This distinguished philosopher found 

 that the following substances absorbed, in 24 hours, of water, brine, and oil, 



Cubic 



Centimetres C. C. C. C. 

 Water. Brine. Oil. 



100 grammes of cartilage of the ear ....... 231 125 



100 tendons ................. 178 114 8.6 



100 yellow ligaments of spine . . 148 30 7.2 



100 cornea ............... '... 461 370 9.1 



100 cartilaginous ligaments .... 319 3.2 



100 dry fibrine absorbed . ..... 301 of water and 148 



of alcohol of 69 per 

 cent. (Liebig.) 



100 ....... 184 parts by weight 



or 154 by volume of 

 brine 



Animal membranes do not acquire, by absorbing alcohol or oil, those properties 

 which they exhibit when saturated with water.t A dried bladder continues 

 hard and brittle in alcohol and oil ; its flexibility is in no degree increased by 

 absorbing these liquids. When tendons, ligaments (CHEVREUL,) the yellow liga- 

 ments of the spine, or bladder, saturated with oil, are placed in water, the oil is 

 completely expelled, and they take up as much water as if they had not previously 

 been in contact with oil. 



It has been mentioned, that 100 parts of animal membrane (dry ox-bladder) 

 absorb in 24 hours 268, in 48 hours 310 volumes of water, and only 133 of 

 saturated solution of salt. It follows, of course, that when the bladder, saturated 

 with water by 48 hours' contact, z id well dried in bibulous paper, without pressure, 

 to remove superfluous water, is trevved with salt, there is formed, at all points 

 where salt comes in contact with be water filling the open pores, a saturate d solu- 



* Absorption of different liqvids. 



+ Effects of oil, salt, &c., on aerr lirar when dry, and when in the moist state. 



